Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-12-09
CHANGING THE RULES.
Important Action of the Base. Ball
Magnates of the National
League.
The Scheme of an Eastern and West.
ern League Peters Out-The
Brotherhood Paciflcd.
[cH1cAGo coRREspoNDENcE1

AoAsnA6u W III eAe HISTORY OF OaSo-
ball. The meeting of the Joint Rules
Committee at Pittsburg, followed by the
annual meeting of the National League at
New York, were attended by results of
vital importance to the game, and this
year, as in previous years, the meetings in
question were marked by the keenest pub
lie interest. 1t would require too much
space to state in detail the changes made
by the Joint Rules Committee in
the playing rules. Suffice it to
say, however, that in the main the CHANGES
are highly approved, although the general
impression seems to be that the alteration
OF the number of strikes to be allowed a.
batsman was Unnecessary, and that it will tend
toward the re- establishment of the old order
of things, when pitchers games" were Of
common occurrence. 1t was long ago de-
clded by the League clubs, and the players
ms well, that the public wanted to witness
heavy batting game, and another strike
was added to the limit of opportunity af-
torded the batsman to hit the ball before
going to the bench. The change worked
admirably, as the lively character of the
games during the past season will testify.
There was plenty of good, stiff hitting,
and tho change found high favor with the
public. Now, when everything seemed as
it should be, the committee goes to- work
and undoes what it did last fall. "Four
strikesyare too hard on the pitcher" says
an enthusiast, in defense of the Joint coma
mittees action. Nonsense. One pitched
ball more or less is not going to make any
material difference in the effectiveness Of a
trained pitcher, while it will make very
great difference to the batsman.
The elimination of that miserable pro-
vision, however, which during the past sea-
son has given batsman a base hit for q
base on balls, is heartily gratifying to every
man who has talked with your correspond
ent upon the subject. John Days thoughts
fulness in amending the old rule-that of
loo6-on this point so that the fact of q
mans having reached first on called balls
Will not alone prevent his scoring an earned
run, is commendable. A batsman should
not be held responsible for pitchers er.
ror, and if he possesses the patience and
good judgment to stand ut the plate until
five balls and perhaps two strikes have
been called on him he should be given the
opportunity, so far as his own work has en-
titled him to it, to score an earned run.
1t is too bad that the committee should
not have taken decided action upon MIR.
Spalding's suggestion, that a club may
hold in reserve for use upon the field, at
the discretion OF the team captain, as many
men as it wishes. The rule is good one
in that it will tend to more rapidly develop
young talent by giving them the advantage
OF training in championship games. If q
team captain has placed his best nine in
the field, and as result of their work sees
that the game is hopelessly lost or unques-
tioDably won, he can utilize the situation
by substituting during the last innings of
the game such of his young talent as he
effect of checking q too frequent inclina-
ton upon the part of the players to sulk
upon the field, or play Indifferent ball, for
no ball-player would wish to be disgraced
by being sent from the field for poor work
and another man put in to till his place.
So far as can be learned, Mr.. Spalding's
suggestion of this measure is favorably re-
garded everywhere, and there are many
who hope it will become rule.
In connection with the League meeting,
the Eastern and Western Circuit scheme,
which has been pretty thoroughly aired
during the past few days in the dispatches
from Pittsburg and New York, came in for
its share of discussion, but the majority of
well-posted baseball "cranks' refuse to
bite at the sensational fake. 1t was not
even discussed.
A committee from the Brotherhood of
Ball Players waited upon the League
meeting, and, after discussing in friendly
way the objects of the Brotherhood and
the relations existing between the clubs
and their players, the League appointed q
committee to discuss the ACCESSIBILITY
of amending the form of contract
in accordance with the suggestions
offered by the brotherhood committee.
The League committee consisted of Rogers,
Day and spalding, and the Brotherhood
committee OF Ward, Hanlon and Brouthers,
the two committees meeting in conference.
They went over the new form of contract
presented by the Brotherhood in detail.
The League then assembled to hear the
joint committee, and in short order ratified
the new form with but few alterations, the
most important change being made in the
clause relative to the distribution of play
ers in the event of q club disbanding.
This was changed entirely the moment the
League showed the Brotherhood the alb
solute necessity of controlling the players
in such contingency. The new contract
and adopted proves to be better docu-
ment all around than the old one. The
principal changes made affect sections 6,
Z, s, Is, 16 and 10. By the terms Of the
new contract players will not be fined at
the discretion of the managers for certain
oifenses, graded limit being named for
repeated otfenses. Neither will club re-
serve players for the ensuing season at
$1,000, as was previously the case, but
clubs will now pay reserved players the
salary named in the contract. Players are
also exempted from the charges of SO cents
per day for travelling expenses. In the fu-
ture, if a club disbands, resigns or is ex-
PEELED, the players of such club will not be
compelled to go to another club I'M
less that club will pay the same salaries as
the club resigning, disbanding, or expelled.
In section the word drunkenness" was
stricken out as being an undetinable term.
The change made in this section is
expected to be- productive Of much
good, and viii prevent men drinking
while off duty. Players may be "docked"
pro rata amount Of their pay for time
lost by illness from natural causes. If a
player is injured in the performance Of
duty and thus incapactated, his pay shall
20 on just the same, but he may be re-
leased; such release must. however, be abb
solute and unconditional. Any violation
of contract by the managers may be held
as proper ground for dissolution of con-
tract If their players desire it. Another
chenge provides for fine of $50 for neg
lect of duty and does away with suspen-
sion The RrotharhOod favored the Dlan